The much touted benefits of the removal of subsidy on petrol may not actually trickle down to Nigerian professionals and others involved in the construction industry, as foreigners reap bountifully from the extra funds that will be available for development projects.

The National President, Association of Building Artisans of Nigeria, Prince Jimmy Oshinubi, said the construction industry, which is the largest employer of labour, would thrive more than ever before with the availability of more funds when subsidy was eventually removed on petrol.

He, however, maintained that there was nothing to cheer about for the Nigerian construction professionals and the teeming unemployed youth.

Oshinubi said in a position paper made available to our correspondent on Friday, “Like the market women at Idumota in Lagos, professionals in the construction sector and the 68 million unemployed youths will still have to continue to look elsewhere, while the Chinese and other foreigners are doing their jobs.

“No doubt, artisans in the construction industry are fast ageing, rather than retrain our youths properly to position them for the over three million jobs begging for the attention of skilled youths, thousands of Chinese labourers are moving into the country as artisans and technicians to take over from our young graduates. Illegal Chinese youths abound in thousands doing the jobs of Nigerian youths across the country.”

He alleged that for over four years now, no fewer than 5,000 Chinese youths had been working at the Papalanto Power Plant in Ogun State, while about 3,000 foreign building artisans were engaged at Dangote Cement’s Ibeshe plant for jobs that indigenous artisans could do.

Oshinubi further said, “While our leaders are busy importing foreigners as artisans, the British government through the Growth and Employment in States Construction and Real Estate Sector (GEMS 2), a unit of the Department For International Development, has been retraining the country’s artisans to empower the youth.

“Over three years after Obajana Cement has been producing, thousands of Chinese artisans are still working there. Nigeria is currently losing N900bn annually to the remuneration of foreign artisans, with fuel subsidy removal, the amount will in no doubt increase as more Chinese will move into the country for construction works.”

He predicted that unemployed youths in the country, who have had to make do with cosmetic jobs such as selling recharge cards, as against jobs that could guarantee a better future, might soon be pitted against the expatriate artisans.

The ASBAN boss said, “The Christopher Kolade-led Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment committee might end up like others that were only put in place to silence Nigerians.

“We hereby use this medium to call on the committee to look inward, while trying to ensure jobs for our youths. Calls for foreign investors have continued to help in reducing unemployment in other countries, while most of our youths are given jobs that cannot guarantee better tomorrow, but enslave them.”

I have always wondered how Nigerian Engineers and Builders are able to make living. It borders me mostly when I read about building collapse and the poor state of our infrastructures. I have asked what role these groups are playing in establishing standards and regulations in the country. While we blame foreigners for taking our jobs, we also need to seriously blame our organizations for their poor quality of work. There are a lot of uncompleted poorly constructed projects all over the place and I do not think any company would like to see a project that should last a year not completed in five years. It is only in Nigeria that we do not realize that time is money. If we do, then we should make sure that projects are of good standards and finished on time within budget.
Nigeria Engineers and Builders need to be able to influence good standards and contract policies. To me Nigeria should provide labours and some materials in any contract. It should be mandated that some percentage of labour and some materials must come within Nigeria.
Talking in term of jobs for our youths, I do not see many of Nigerian quality artisan youths these days nearly everybody is into okada business and as such Nigerian youths cannot meet today’s labour market.
In my view, for these to change, we as people must change our attitude to work, realized that time is money, ensure standards and quality products and influenced policy makers to make sure contract spelt out some percentage to local labour and materials. Finally, the association should challenge the awards of these projects in court so that they can be consider in the projects.

Aderibigbe taiwo

U hv said it all we graduate are given labourer jobs while they import shinko labourer as enginers 4 us.

Spokesperson for the Senate Unity Forum, Senator Kabir Marafa, saying his colleagues passed a vote of confidence in Dr. Bukola Saraki’s senate leadership in order to spite President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress leadership.